Over the last few weeks I have received multiple emails regarding maintenance intake. These particular folks were dieting for a period of time and had some questions about how to set up their maintenance intake and what to expect with the added calories etc. Upon receipt I figured this would be a good time to touch on a subject many folks have a very hard time with. After all, it’s relatively easy to create a deficit and lose body fat and surely we can all agree how easy it is to gain body weight.
But what about when we reach our goals? How do we maintain what we have worked so hard for?
What Is Maintenance?
First off, let us define the word. According to the dictionary, to maintain is to remain in an existing state. With regards to fitness and aesthetics, maintenance is the act of keeping the body as is, not gaining or losing weight(muscle or body fat).
On paper, the concept of maintenance works itself out as the perfect balance of energy intake(stuffing your pie hole) and energy expenditure(walking, typing, talking, get creative with this one). The idea is to strike a happy medium between the amount of food to devour and a manageable amount of exercise required to maintain your physique.
However the human body is far too complex to suggest that it needs an exact amount of kcals per day to function and maintain itself.
Where It Gets Complicated
Everyone seems to be on the search for the precise number of calories they need for the day. Many begin their search on the web looking for special calculators or equations to provide the ideal amount of energy to consume on a daily basis.
I wish it were this simple but it’s not. We rarely burn the same amount of kcals day in and day out due to varying schedules, spontaneous activity, illness and other various daily activities. Some people even respond to certain macronutrients a bit differently depending on their genetic predisposition to certain foods and nutrient intolerances.
Before someone assumes, I am not stating there is some magical metabolic advantage to restricting a certain macro or adopting a paleolithic diet. I am merely suggesting that someone who is insulin resistant(IR) is going to act much differently after a high carb meal than someone who is insulin senstive(IS). The IR person is likely to go take a nap while the IS person will be bouncing off the wall from all the extra energy.
This is usually why someone people say that excess carbs make them fat. No, it’s not the excess carbs, it’s the fact that the carb bomb makes them sleepy, therefore they sit around and play on the computer instead of moving around spontaneously like their IS counterpart. People with IR usually find their energy levels are better on a diet higher in fat and moderate in carbs.(in the end, the IR person just doesn’t burn as many kcals)
Not to mention the fact that all of our calorie labels are rough estimates anyhow. So when you think about it, this might as well be one big guessing game.
The Journey To Maintenance
Some people rarely ever consume their true maintenance intake. If you are a competitive bodybuilder, most of your career is either spent stuffing your face in search of lean body mass gains or dieting to get ready for a show. There really isn’t much time for anything else.
If you are a competitive athlete, you also alternate periods of hypo and hypercaloric consumption, however the rate of gain and loss is usually much slower than a competitive bodybuilder. Most athletes attempt to maintain throughout their season but due to such large expenditures, many end up somewhat lighter by the seasons end. Heck I know I was always a few pounds lighter and leaner at the end of every football season; at the same time I was inhaling Taco Bell and Pizza Hut every single weekend. It was a struggle to keep up with my expenditure.
Fact is, if you are into fitness, bodybuilding, strength training or whatever you are most likely alternating between a kcal surplus and deficit. Chances are you rarely ever eat your maintenance kcals and if you do it’s usually out of necessity(vacation, training break etc) rather than deliberation.
If you ever think about the future, you know that your gains will come to an end someday or you will finally be satisfied with your 6 pack and all you want to do is enjoy being sexy year-round. This is where knowing your maintenance intake is crucial. It should never take as much work to maintain something you have already built. Therefore, in my humble opinion, this maintenance thing should be simple and effective. It can be, you just gotta figure it out.
So now I am sure many of you are probably asking yourself “um, how do I figure this out?”
Finding Your Maintenance Intake
If you want numbers, here they are. 15 kcals multiplied by your body weight in pounds is usually a good starting point. Some will require more and some will require less. It all falls on the activity level of the individual. If you are sitting at a desk 14 hours a day, you aren’t going to need 16-17 X body weight in kcals. If you are working construction, chances are you need more than this. Again it’s all a matter of energy expenditure.
So now that I got that out of the way, let me give you the best way to find your maintenance intake. You need to track calories. If you put something in your mouth that has a caloric value, write it down. Write everything down for 2-3 weeks and take note of what is happening with regards to your body weight and composition. In general, if your weight is stable within a few pounds, it’s safe to say you found your maintenance kcal intake. If you are gaining or losing, adjust accordingly. Females should probably take 4-5 weeks to track and assess due to water fluctuations during the menstrual cycle.
It’s a good idea to set your protein to at least 1 g/lb of body weight and then fill in the rest of your kcals with moderate amount of carbs and fat.
I would avoid any food you aren’t normally consuming during this trial period. A night out to eat sushi smothered in soy sauce will do wonders for making you scream blasphemies at the scale(water weight gain).
What Have I Learned?
While I do not struggle with maintenance now, I have in the past. During the times I have been really lean in my life, I made mistakes and learned a few very valuable lessons. The first time I learned that you can maintain through insane amounts of exercise and stuffing your face everyday. This only works if you are a college kid with no job, lots of time and free meal pass to the cafeteria.
The second time I got really lean, I learned that it doesn’t take long to get back to where you started out dieting 12 weeks ago. Spend 2-3 weeks completely stuffing your face due to feeling so deprived on a disastrous diet and you quickly eat yourself back to your previous body fat pretty darn quick. I did this on a vacation(oops)!
The third time I dieted down, I did it on sprints and strength training only. I maintained a moderate deficit and kept myself sane with weekly free meals. I ended up maintaining 8-9% body fat for a decent amount of time before I lost interest and wanted to put on some more size. This time I maintained on a moderate amount of training and a well rounded diet as opposed to training 5+ days per week. I had much more time to devote to other interests which did wonders for my adherence.
The Emotional Part Of Maintenance
Ah yes, the hardest part of maintenance – getting so wrapped up in a result and/or process that it makes you absolutely crazy. Many folks find themselves becoming more anal and obsessive when it comes time to stop dieting and maintain what they have sculpted.
I understand their state of chaos. I have been there. It all comes down to moderation. Establish your maintenance intake, trust it and apply it. If things need to be adjusted, adjust them. I have seen many who were obsessive about bulking and dieting become even more neurotic when it comes to maintenance.
My point is that no one has to be so uptight about all of this. Once you figure out your maintenance intake, it’s not going to vary much unless you become a competitive athlete or go from doing landscaping to a cubicle. Trust the numbers you have establish for yourself and enjoy reveling in the physique you’ve built.
I like this artical alot. I sometimes feel stressed about my caloric intake because im an ectomorph and it’s hard to maintain, Im not even sure if im supose to be working out the way i am and eating under my caloric intake (i workout my muscle groups spread out like Monday: chest/triceps next day rest, then the next Biceps/abs/legs) am i doing more hard than good? if im not eating eating enough?
what do you mean ‘working out the way I am?’
i mean like.. I struggle to get my caloric intake each day but i still workout each muscle group very intense on different days of the week. I’m not really sure if im building muscle or burning muscle
hard to say – if you’re not in a caloric surplus, you’re not doing any good.
if you’re truly an ectormorph, I’d focus on training no more than 3 days per week and making darn certain you’re eating enough…
I think most people underestimate their calorie intake (and overestimate their burn) to the point where it’s not even useful to track. I try to track my hunger levels, which isn’t foolproof, but I’m getting to a healthy weight, so it seems to work well enough. Figuring out how much I eat seems very difficult, as most of my food doesn’t come in boxes, with serving sizes and calorie counts weighed out.
I agree with you on all accounts. Something I have found that works wonderfully for me when going by hunger is to eat lean protein + fruits/veggies. if I make each meal rich in those choices, I have no problem maintaining without counting.
GREAT article! Long read, but very nice.